The V Valparaíso Region (Spanish pronunciation: [balpaɾaˈiso], Spanish: V Región de Valparaíso) is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions.[FN 1] With the country's third highest population of 1,539,852 million in 2002 and third smallest area of 16,396.1 km2 (6,331 sq mi), the region is Chile's second most densely populated after the Santiago Metropolitan Region to the southeast.[1]

The Region of Valparaíso is populated by some 1.71 million inhabitants. The population density reached 94.1 inhabitants/km². 91.6% of the population lives in urban areas and only 8.4% of the population lives in rural areas.

Valparaíso developed as a trans-oceanic rest stop for fishing ships, sea cruise-liners and international naval ships. Therefore, a large proportion of residents have a variety of national origins, ethnic groups and cultures. The 16th-century foundation were by settlers of Andalusia, Asturia and León regions, and the most numerous Basque people of northern Spain. Large numbers came from other countries of Latin America from Mexico to Uruguay, esp. came during colonial rule in the 17th century. And in the late 18th–early 19th centuries came a small wave of Galician settlers from the Spanish region of Galiza.

It is thought[by whom?] the majority of Valparaíso's people have non-Spanish European background, such as: British and Irish, Australians and New Zealanders, North Americans (U.S. or Canadian), Croats and Bosnians, Dutch and Belgians, French, Germans, Greeks, Italians, Portuguese and Scandinavians. Also are the Middle Eastern peoples such as Lebanese, Syrians and a fairly large to its size a Palestinian community in the town of La Calera.

The Valparaíso region is host of agricultural lands, wine producers, and industrial activity such as copper mining and cement. Chile's largest oil refinery is located in Concón (on the mouth of the Aconcagua River and about 20 km north of Valparaíso) and there are two important copper ore refineries: the state owned Ventanas (on the coast and north of Concón) and the private works in Chagres, about 55 miles (90 km) inland.

The region also is a hub for chemicals and gas storage near the port of Quintero. In the interior valleys there is a booming export industry mainly around the avocado (palta), chirimoyas and flowers as the most important products. The most striking recent development has been the cultivation of hill sides using high tech drip feed irrigation. This has allowed otherwise dry and unproductive land to bear high yields.